Have you ever wondered what it would be like to suddenly come into the money within the world of poker? So did we! However, we found a story that’s even more interesting — it’s about a guy that actually did what we were all dreaming about all along. He won big, but as the story goes — he also lost big as well. Would you want to be Tyler Bonkowski? Read the story below and see if you really would!
At first, Tyler Bonkowski was really on a roll. Thousands of people come online to play poker, and some will indeed win even though they don’t have mature poker playing skills yet. That’s just the nature of the game. Some things are really about luck. You can have the best strategy in the world but if the cards don’t line up to what you’re looking for, then you’re really going to be out of luck in the long run. But at the start, Tyler was doing pretty good.
He had even accumulated enough money to buy a car with cash, and to pay the bills that ran his modest lifestyle. The extra bit of money he put into savings, which was actually a smart move. In fact it was smarter than what a lot of people do — they just go into spending mode and forget that sometimes all good things really do come to an end.
But let’s cover the beginning of the journey, shall we?
Bonkowski started his gambling career by winning casual weekend games with his friends. He could be charming and psychologically manipulative in the game of poker, never really letting his opponents know what he was thinking.
Someone suggested that he take his gambling interests online, where there were more people to play and more money to be won. Now 27 years old, Bonkowski realized it was the key to getting just about everything he wanted.
At the time, Bonkowski was watching poker take off big time. The game had come onto the Internet scene in full swing by 2000, and by 2003 television was even getting a dose of poker fun. The World Series of Poker Main Event was attracting thousands upon thousands of hungry and excited poker fans.
Tyler is quick to talk about the humble beginnings of playing freerolls and otherwise not getting too caught up in highs takes poker. He ended up playing 14 hours a day in order to have those big weekly payouts.
Was it worth it? Tyler thinks so — even though he’s suffered some heavy losses, he still finds a strong love of poker in his heart. And really, isn’t that where we all want to be? Out playing our passions and really getting down and dirty with poker?
If you’re going to take this show on the road and follow in Tyler’s footsteps, you need to make absolutely sure that you have all of the tools on your side. Practice often and be willing to take some losses. Don’t be afraid to start out small and work your way up. You’re not going to have all of the answers starting out, but you will definitely love playing anyway!